While price was always my first line of narrowing down options...it was just for making certain I maintained a certain budget. After that, so many things are a factor when deciding on a child care. Experience, background check, references, temperament, adult/child ratio, educational experiences, safety, security, love & affection, flexible caregivers, days/hours, LOCATION, and various other things then come into factor.
So, while I would use price as a starting point, there is still a long process of selection to be done after the fact.

If ever I would put my child in a daycare, price is the second priority and the first will be how safe will my child to be in that daycare. Safety and learning is important for me for my child to have. Though price is a concern, still the most important is how comfortable the child would be in a daycare that you chose for her/him.